Tag: life

My heart goes out to all the people who live in fear of the safety of their families. From those who fill our history books to those still alive today who have ever lived in fear, those who have feared being ostracised for being the minority, to those born into circumstances that have been out of their power to alter, those who were born “different”, those who did not come from a privileged background, to the people who have been discriminated against for not fitting into a certain ideal. I want you to know that regardless of the circumstances beyond your control, you are loved. Regardless of your ethnicity, the colour of your skin, your religious beliefs, sexual orientation, your physical stature, regardless of the way you look, whether you suffer with physical or mental heath issues; you are loved. Love is universal; it knows no bounds. Every human being with a heart is capable of love.

May all the hatred and evil harboured in the world be brought to an end. May the darkness that shrouds the light be banished from existence. In this day and age, it is abhorrent that people must still live in the fear of expressing their love for the people they do – be it those of the opposite or same sex, same or different ethnicity – that there are still people so evil in the world they would want to segregate others for what is beyond human control. It is not those who fill the world with love who are the problem; it is those who fill the world with hatred. May love always conquer hate and violence never be the answer. May people see that it is not right to resort to violence, and for the love of all that is good and just, may violence be brought to an end. May the people of the world see the evil in treating others as outcasts, in hurting others, in causing pain. There are enough issues in the world that impede human growth without bringing violence and hatred to the table.

If you do one thing today, and every day for the rest of your existence, may you show others love and kindness. Whenever you feel that you are a failure, or do not meet society’s ideas of physical perfection, when you feel that you are not capable of material success, try to fill the world with love. When you feel down and disheartened, whenever you feel powerless, know that if you can love you are impenetrable. Because in showing love you are already doing more than many people are capable of; and that is a super power in itself.

Wishing you love, light and laughter,

Shannon x

The following is an original poem written by me – I hope you enjoy reading.

Whether or not you believe that there is life after death, whether you believe that the spirit lives on in heaven, in the afterlife, whether or not you have a faith, it can always be comforting to hope that one day we might meet our loved ones again after they are gone. The word ‘goodbye’ has a detrimentally permanent quality about it; I often find myself dreading the words. The word seems too final – I don’t want to say goodbye, I want to look forward to the next time. I often find myself saying ‘goodnight’ or ‘see you later’ but there is something so terminal in saying ‘goodbye’ that I’m just not fond of. I recall at the beginning of my last relationship I told my then-boyfriend that we should never say the word goodbye because we always have tomorrow and the day after to see one another or speak again, so our conversation would never truly end; there would never have to be those finalising words until, of course, the day we did part for good. Even to the ones I’ve loved and lost, I will say ‘goodbye for now’, in the hope that one day we will all meet again in a place free of the world’s hardships, where there is only love.

The following poem was written nearly three years ago, when I was sixteen years old, in memory of my Grandfather after his passing.

Saying the word ‘goodbye’ is the hardest thing we have to do

As we shut the door on one thing and embrace something new

Sometimes the easier route to take is to only say a word or two

Because words cannot express what I would like to say to you

But I’ll try my utmost to convey a little of the words I’d say.

Dear Grandpa,

Thank you for teaching us determination, that God is always there,

I adored your unassuming nature and your kind one-eyed stare,

Before I even knew what maths was you’d give me sums and I must say

Thank you for your patience for I still am doing maths today,

The man who taught us from young never to waste a morsel of our food,

Who told me that God was always near in a way I understood,

As you’d calmly smoke your pipe we’d listen to your humble words,

Enjoy sitting with you after lunch as we fed bread to the birds,

I remember among the final words you last said to me,

The usual question about what job it was that I wished to do

As you did recall when I was small a writer I said to you,

And if I do write a book one day I know whom it shall be dedicated to,

To my grandfather a man who only wished me good

And who taught me always to live my days and spend them as I should,

This reminder of a young ambition had me gratefully holding your hand,

It was nice to see that you believed in me, you truly gracious man,

Silent tears filled my eyes for that time long gone it seems,

In the midst of stormy days I had long forgotten that dream,

But thank you for the reminder for it now shined bright and true,

Subconsciously you turned my spark back on, I now write something for you,

So many thanks to Grandpa Andrew,

One of the kindest men I knew,

Though you’re not here in physical being you now live up and free,

You’re still present in your spirit guarding me and our family,

In the toughest of times you knew it would be worth it after all,

To reach a higher place in heaven where only love can breach its walls,

And in a place above us you stand now watching over those you love,

And we can only have faith that one day we can meet you up above,

Pray for us dear grandpa to one day reach God’s heavens there with you,

But for now you’re still with us in our hearts as we face a chapter new.

Hi there!
Well I suppose I should properly introduce myself: my name is Shannon. I am currently nearing the end of my first year studying Chemical Engineering at Sheffield University. I am originally from Gibraltar but moved to Sheffield to study at university.
I created a blog a long while back with the intention of finding one particular theme to base my blog around, but frustratingly I could never seem to decide upon just one. Because of this, I allowed the idea to gradually wither away into crevices at the back of my mind.
I am exceedingly passionate about writing, and so I keep finding myself simply opening up word upon word document on my laptop, and note upon note on my phone to write down whatever I am feeling particularly zealous about at the time. These notes however, just get lost in the sea of hundreds of notes and applications that we keep in our mobile devices, while my word documents have been obscured among the Uni assignments and reports. I have no true way of chronologically documenting and organising my thoughts. Like so many aspects of my life, there is no order to these written down musings, and if there is one thing I’m hoping to improve going forward is introducing some structure into my life. And so here I decide that in writing a blog my aim is to turn my thoughts, my goals and daily life into something tangible, written down and ordered.
The truth is, my whole personality is a discrepancy; I will never adhere to just one category of something because I am simultaneously so many things all at once. This could have come into play in not being able to choose only one topic for my blog; how can I limit myself to one thing when my life is an intricate concoction of so many? While I am a science and engineering student and I am taught to think mathematically, I also possess a creative, ever-wandering mind. If I wouldn’t have chosen to study Engineering, while other people in my position might have opted for another Math’s or science-related degree, I would have probably opted for English literature. If you know me, you’ll know I have trouble complying with rules or instructions; for some reason I am always compelled to just do things the way I feel, and not the way I’ve been told. I take my own route and follow my intuition, yet I subconsciously I suppose I add in some degree of reasoning with the decisions I make. I could write a whole novel about all the twists and turns in my character, but we shall not delve into that for the moment; perhaps you will be able to assimilate these traits as time progresses and we get to know one another to a deeper degree. I have been told on a number of occasions that I am not easy to read; and I do concede I can tend to be difficult to fully comprehend. Perhaps starting my blog can be my attempt to be more clearly undertsood. Anyway, I digress.
I hope my blog can be a creative outlet where I can just allow my thoughts to flow freely. I am undertaking several journeys in my life at the moment, and I’d love for you to join me as I go down my path.
My blog will primarily consist of beauty and lifestyle posts. Some topics you can expect from me:
Daily life – from holidays to trips and places I visit, family and friends
Getting back on track with my fitness (which I have neglected for far too long)
My transition to veganism – now that I have moved out on my own I am beginning to realise the importance of nutrition. Since beginning university I have gained 7kg, which I am not necessarily upset about (I am not overweight by any means) but I have gained it as a result of a very poor diet, a lot of processed foods and my struggle with binge-eating (which is a whole separate topic in itself). Becoming vegan is something I have always had a keen interest in, but I would like to get myself to a healthy routine with food as I do so.
My outlook on life topics, and general advice I would give to girls or guys (I can justly say I have been through my fair share of life experiences for a 19-year-old; I have been through a lot, but this has really enabled me to empathise with many situations and give my sincere opinion. I find people often approach me for advice; perhaps because I am frank and honest and they know I will give my genuine outlook). I hope that, in some way you find me relatable and I can show you that beyond the darkness there’s always a ray of light, and that I can be something of a friend to you.
Beauty and fashion – this is a topic I really enjoy. I am a self-professed makeup lover and have always been engrossed by the way one can express themselves through their personal style and fashion sense. I’d love to share my favourite beauty products, tips, reviews and outfit ideas. I am also on the pursuit of finding a skin care routine that will work to combat the severe bout of acne that has recently crept up on me.
And so my dear, I could go on all day but this post is already long enough as it is.
I hope you that you will follow me and that my blog will somehow be more than just a chronological documentation of my thoughts. Perhaps I might be able to reach those of you with the same interests, struggles, aims, or hobbies I have. I look forward to beginning this journey with you.